ALL NEW GEN 2 MORIMOTO HEADLIGHTS FOR THE 2017-2019 SUPER DUTY

All new Gen 2 Morimoto headlights for the 2017-2019 Super Duty

Super Duty has been the king of all Ford pickup trucks for as long as we can remember. In the same sense, Morimoto is the king of aftermarket automotive lighting. It would only make sense to have two great forces combine to create one of the best products available for your truck today. That product is the Gen 2 Morimoto XB LED headlights for the 2017-2019 Ford Super Duty.

Morimoto styled the new Gen 2 lights similarly to the 2020+ Super Duty headlights. These headlights hit every mark we can think of when it comes to the best lighting – style, performance, and functionality. The new facelift offers an incredibly modern upgrade for the front end of your truck.

What makes these headlights different?

If you are looking to get a set of Morimoto headlights, chances are you are in the market for better light output or a different style to compliment your truck. Morimoto knows how important styling is to make or break the look of your truck. Now you might be asking “What about the Gen 1 headlights?” The Gen 1 headlights are still a top choice when it comes to reliability and performance. However, the new Gen 2 unit offers a few performance upgrades and a much different internal styling of the headlight.

The new Gen 2 headlights still share a similar DRL shape to the OEM LED headlights, however, these headlights have the unique Y-shaped optic in the middle. This Y-shaped optic also acts as the turn signal. With this being a Morimoto-made headlight unit, you will get the usual choice of picking between a standard or sequential turn signal. Another choice you will have to make before purchasing is whether you want the white-DRL unit or the amber-DRL unit.

One of the most unique parts of the fully plug-and-play Morimoto XB LED headlights is the start-up sequence. This start-up sequence occurs anytime you power the truck on, illuminating the projectors in a two-stage sequence before powering them back off. While this does not improve the performance of the headlights, it will grant you a major bragging point over those boring and lackluster Amazon headlights. What will change the performance of the Gen 2 headlights is the way that these bi-LED projectors function. Instead of having two projectors dedicated to just the low beam, they will now utilize all projectors in the headlight. This means that all four projectors are used for low beam AND high beam, a total of 8 projectors being used for both sides of your truck. They provide 57% more intensity and undoubtedly make them the best option for aftermarket lighting for the Ford Super Duty.

Morimoto XB LED Headlights Amber-DRL (Gen 2)
$1,750

Performance upgrades for the gen 2 units

Now that we have talked about the major styling upgrades, the biggest advantage of these headlights is their incredible performance. Morimoto has made a name for themselves with their fully LED housings that have consistently outshined the OEM counterparts (many of which cost about as much as the XBs). To show you the upgraded performance of these headlights, we did all the testing in our studio for you. We pulled our truck into the garage and parked it in front of the wall at 25 feet. To measure the brightness, we use a Lux meter across the beam pattern on the wall to find the brightest point within the hot spot. While this is not 100% accurate to real-world performance, it will still provide a general idea of how much brighter these Morimoto headlights are over the OEM headlights. These headlights are brighter than the OEM halogen headlights, the OEM LED headlights, and brighter than the Gen 1 XB LED headlights.

The OEM halogen low beam comes in at 400 maximum lux. This beam pattern is less than ideal, and the color temperature of the lights could be improved vastly as well. Overall, the OEM low beam is not very bright. Compare this to the Gen 1 unit of the Morimoto XB LED headlights. Even the Gen 1 unit is 2x, or 142%, brighter than the OEM LED headlights.

Let’s compare the new Gen 2 Morimoto XB unit to the OEM halogen low beam. The OEM low beam stays at 400 maximum lux since nothing has changed during testing. However, the new Gen 2 unit is a major upgrade compared to the Gen 1 unit. The Gen 1 unit was rated at 970 maximum lux meanwhile the Gen 2 unit is rated at 1,420 maximum lux. That takes the brightness from 142% up to 254%. The Gen 2 units are nearly 3 and a half times brighter than your current OEM halogen lights. That is a night and day difference in performance results, and this is only comparing the low beam.

As you can see from our in-studio testing, the high beam results for the Gen 1 units are just as impressive as before. You get a much wider beam pattern, a crisper color temperature, and a ton of more light output. While the Gen 1 units are incredibly bright, you can probably guess that the Gen 2 is going to be brighter.

If you guessed that the Gen 2 has a brighter high beam, you would be correct. The Gen 2 unit offers over 200% more brightness in the high beam application. This means that both your low beam and high beam with the new Morimoto headlights would be triple what you currently have. Besides this huge upgrade in performance, these headlights also offer a more than ideal beam pattern. This beam pattern is DOT-compliant and completely road legal. The DOT-compliant beam pattern offers a wider range of view, light is thrown further down the road, and glare is reduced for oncoming traffic. If you are looking for a set of headlights that check all the boxes, you have finally found them.

Morimoto XB LED Headlights White-DRL (Gen 2)
$1,700

How to install 2017-2019 Ford SUper Duty headlights

Tools needed for installation:

• Pry Tool for Clips
• 10MM Socket
• Impact/Ratcheting Wrench
  
  

REMOVING THE RADIATOR COVER

Remove the 14 plastic clips from the top of the radiator cover using the pry tool.

Once clips have been removed, you can pull the radiator cover away from the truck. Lift on each side of the cover to release and set the cover to the side for now.

REMOVING THE GRILLE

With the radiator cover now removed, it is time to move on to the 10MM bolts. There are 8 10MM bolts on the top edge of the grille. Use the 10MM socket and wrench to remove these bolts.

Gently pull the top of the grille forward to release the clips that retain it. If this is your first time taking the front end apart, you might find this portion a little difficult. The easiest way to remove the grille is by starting at the top and pulling towards you, and then word towards the bottom of the grille. Before removing the grille completely, you will need to remove the connections on the back of the grille.

Set the grille safely to the side with the radiator cover.

REMOVING THE HEADLIGHTS

Next, we will be removing the bolts that hold in the headlights. There are two bolts at the inner front, one on the top, and one in a small cavity that can be accessed from the wheel well. You will use the 10MM and wrench to remove all 4 bolts that retain the headlight.

To access the bolt behind the wheel well, locate the rubber boot on the side of your bumper.

Once all the bolts have been removed from around the headlight, you can now remove the headlight. Pull the headlight towards you to release it from the truck. Before pulling away completely, remember to remove the connections on the back of the headlight.

Installing DRL Harness

Before installing the new headlights in the truck, we need to install the DRL harness first. This step will only apply to OEM halogen trucks. Route the DRL harness across the top of the radiator support to the fuse box. You will insert the fuse tap into position #35.

If you have an OEM LED truck and do not need the DRL harness, click here to move to the next steps.

Due to the spacing restraints inside of the fuse box, you will need to utilize the fuse tap extension as pictured below.

With the extension in place, you can now install the DRL harness into the fuse box.

You can place the excess wiring inside the fuse box before closing.

INSTALLING YOUR NEW HEADLIGHTS

Now it is time to start connecting our wires to the Morimoto XB headlights. Start by installing the main H13 headlight connection into the back of your new headlights.

Note: There are two H13 connectors per headlight. Use the H13 connector with the black wiring loom, not the grey loom.

INSTALLING THE SIDE MARKER

Find the smaller connector on the harness for the side marker. Connect to the new XB headlights.

INSTALLING THE DRL HARNESS

After that, connect the newly installed DRL harness to the XB LED headlights.

INSTALLING THE TURN SIGNALS

Finally, identify the larger connector box for your turn signals. Connect to the new XB headlights.

Now you have completed the installation for your new Morimoto XB LED headlights. Make sure to run through all the functions in the headlight before bolting the truck back together. We recommend leaving the lights on for five minutes with the truck’s engine running before finishing the installation. Some functions require the capacitors on the headlights to have a charge.

Check through:

• Parking Lights
• Daytime Running Lights
  
• Low Beam
• High Beam
• Auto Function
  
  

Conclusion

The Ford Super Duty is an incredible truck, and it deserves equally incredible headlights. Morimoto did NOT disappoint with the new Gen 2 headlights for the Super Duty, and we cannot recommend them enough. These headlights are fantastic, and they blow the OEM housing out of the water in performance, design, and safety. If the amber-DRL is your favorite, make sure to check them out here. If an amber DRL is not your thing, be sure to see their white DRL model.

We have a ton of other modifications for your 2017-2019 Ford Super Duty, such as fog lights, side markers, interior lights, and taillights!

If you are more of a visual learner, check out our video where we take you to step by step on installing these Morimoto Gen 2 XB LED headlights for the 2017-2019 Ford Super Duty. While you are there, make sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest lighting upgrades for your vehicle. 

Have any questions about one of the products we mentioned? Contact us today, and our customer service team would be happy to help.